Bulk containers using internal bags are known in the art. For example, the meat industry has long used a bag inside a box combination to store and ship their various products. The bag is typically used to keep liquids from spilling and the container provides structure to the bag and its contents.
Until this invention there has been no simple way to keep the bag open within the container while the bag/container is being filled. Likewise, there has been no simple way to keep the bag attached to the container when the container is being emptied. These problems may seem trivial; however, much time is lost in packaging plants reopening a bag that has closed or partially closed during the filling process. Likewise much time and product is lost when, for example, bulk meat containers are emptied into grinding machines and the bag separates from the container and enters the grinding machine. In such a case, the grinder and its contents are contaminated and the product must be thrown away.